The US State Department announced the deal late on Wednesday during a nationally televised address by President Donald Trump.
By Sodiq Oluwaremilekun
The United States has approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, marking one of Washington’s largest-ever weapons packages for the self-governing island, which Beijing has vowed to reunify with mainland China.
The US State Department announced the deal late on Wednesday during a nationally televised address by President Donald Trump.
The proposed arms sale includes 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), valued at more than $4 billion. These defence systems are similar to those the United States has supplied to Ukraine to help counter Russian aerial attacks.
The package also features 60 self-propelled howitzer artillery systems and related equipment worth over $4 billion, as well as drones valued at more than $1 billion.
Additional items in the deal include military software valued at more than $1 billion; Javelin and TOW missiles worth over $700 million; helicopter spare parts valued at $96 million; and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worth $91 million.
In a series of separate statements outlining the agreement, the Pentagon said the sales support US national, economic, and security interests by helping Taiwan modernise its armed forces and maintain a “credible defensive capability.”
Taiwan’s defence ministry and presidential office welcomed the announcement, while China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency.
The large US arms sale to Taiwan is likely to anger China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the island under its control.
“The United States continues to help Taiwan maintain adequate self-defence capabilities and rapidly build strong deterrent power,” Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement.
Taiwan presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said the island would continue to reform its defence sector and “strengthen whole-of-society defence resilience” in order to “demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves and safeguard peace through strength.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday that it opposed efforts by the US Congress to pass legislation “related to Taiwan” and firmly rejected any form of military contact between the United States and Taiwan.
“We urge the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiqués: stop arming Taiwan, stop reviewing related bills, and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs,” spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said in a statement.
Zhu accused Taiwan’s political leaders of pursuing “independence” and being “willing to let external forces turn the island into a ‘war porcupine’,” warning that this could leave the population as “cannon fodder” and subject to being “slaughtered at will,” which she described as despicable.
Last month, Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te announced a $40 billion supplementary defence budget for the period from 2026 to 2033, saying there was “no room for compromise on national security.”
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